“We are two halves of the same rotten apple.”Deep in the Amazonian jungle, there is a mansion with a rose garden and a hen house where juicy tomatoes are the perfect shade of red, and marble countertops glisten.Inside, where even the shadows don’t reach, something is rotting, and the perfect facade can only hold the stench for so long.Domenico promised his husband that he would keep him safe, keep him away from the bloodshed and the brutal world of cartel violence. But when a guest arrives to help retrieve a stolen transport of guns, something sinister sneaks into his home, something more dangerous than his enemies. Or has it been there all along, and he just hasn’t noticed?Seth’s life is what others dream of. Endless leisure time filled with cocktails, a kitchen stocked with anything he wishes for, and a private pool in the sunshine. What’s missing is the man he shares it with, the man he fell in love with. If being cut off from the mafia business was what he wanted, then why is it so painfully lonely in paradise?Desperate to be the supportive husband Domenico needs, Seth buries his rage, his violent urges, and the anger that simmers inside of him. But he can only hide in plain sight for so long, and when a guest invites him to play with fire, one misstep, one wrong move, could burn their safe haven to the ground.POSSIBLE SPOILERSThemes: mafia, cartel, assassin, organized crime, family ties, domestic violence, inequality, betrayal, revenge.

WARNING: Adult content. If you are easily offended, this book is not for you.

Excerpt

Domenico could get drunk on the taste of the shivering body underneath him. Men had given into him before, but none like Seth. None were a challenge to be conquered again and again. Seth’s reflection in the water had its eyes closed, lips open, but noticing them only reminded Domenico of Diego’s audacity to so much as look at Seth in a vulgar manner. He had no right. No one else had that right.The water cast blue lights on Seth’s face, reaching out to caress him with translucent fingers. Hand squeezed in the hair at the back of Seth’s head, Domenico pushed in so hard Seth fell flat on the tiles, dipping his nose in the water.“Deep breath,” he whispered into the warm ear.Seth glanced back at him, red-faced and panting, but understanding finally sank in and he did as told. It was a good thing that Seth was willing to butt heads, because seeing him then comply only made Domenico thrust into that greedy hole harder.Danger was an aphrodisiac to Seth. He’d proven that much when they’d first fucked on Toro’s property, in the wine cellar below the kitchen floor where there were no cameras to spy on them. It was back then that Domenico tightened his hand around Seth’s throat for pleasure for the first time. Two years on, Dom was still more than eager to give his husband exactly what he needed. The loss of breath. The adrenaline, the rush of blood coming back once arteries were released made Seth’s orgasms earth-crushing.

K.A. Merikan are a team of writers who try not to suck at adulting, with some success. Always eager to explore the murky waters of the weird and wonderful, K.A. Merikan don’t follow fixed formulas and want each of their books to be a surprise for those who choose to hop on for the ride.